Two former Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy title-winners headed to Pembrey Circuit in South Wales [July 26-27] for the middle encounter of the campaign tied on points at the head of the standings, but in a clean-sweep performance it was Patrick O’Donovan (Peugeot 208) who dominated the weekend.

Fastest in every session on track through the opening day on Saturday, O’Donovan maintained his advantage during the opening corners of the all-important final then pulled out an advantage to secure his third win of the season. Tied on points entering the event, Derek Tohill (Peugeot 208) qualified second, made a good start and ran second throughout to finish in the position he started. Behind, Ollie O’Donovan (Proton Iriz) climbed from fourth on the grid to third in the opening corners, despite a poor getaway, then responded to Tristan Ovenden’s (Citroen DS3) earlier joker lap, the Proton driver passing Ovenden at the exit of the joker section to maintain track position, then defended hard for the rest of the encounter to return to the podium.

Ovenden was forth in his strongest performance of the season so far, followed by JGE Team Goody Rallycross team mate Julian Godfrey (Citroen DS3) and MMS RX Team IRL driver John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta).

With the circuit reversed to run in the opposite [anti-clockwise] direction on Sunday, Patrick O’Donovan again set the fastest times throughout qualifying to take pole for the final, joined by Team RX Racing team mate Ollie O’Donovan and Tohill on the front row.

It was Tohill who made the best start, launching himself into the lead at turn one. But, as O’Donovan made a move to retake the advantage on the inside of turn two, the left-rear suspension on Tohill’s 208 WRX sustained damage, putting him out. Ollie O’Donovan thereafter ran second, defending track position from McCluskey in the latter stages to take the runner-up position. McCluskey finished third on track, but was handed track limits penalties post-race, elevating Godfrey to third, Ovenden to fourth and Gary Donoghue (Ford Fiesta) to fifth. McCluskey was classified sixth.

Patrick O’Donovan leads Tohill and Godfrey in the Drivers’ Championship, while Team RX Racing leads the Teams’ standings.

Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship

Cayden Harris and Teddie Macpherson entered the third double-header of the single-make Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship campaign tied on points at the head of the standings and after a full weekend’s competition, left in the same position. The finals both played out in similar fashion on track, Harris leading the way on each occasion until Macpherson found a way through to the lead. But, having claimed his second ever victory in the class on Saturday and twice setting fastest time in the qualifying heats on Sunday, Macpherson’s on track win in the Sunday final didn’t stand, he was penalised post-race for a track limits infringement that dropped him to second. Tommy Brown completed the podium on the opening day, while Harrison Folley was third on Sunday afternoon. Kenyan 14-year-old Cheche Ababu made his international competition debut in the category and claimed a best result of fifth on Sunday.

Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship

Max Weatherly (LifeLive TN11) and David Kane (Speedcar Wonder) shared the spoils in the Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship double-header at Pembrey. Championship leader Weatherly entered the event on the back of four wins from six rounds, and overcame a wheel coming off his machine during qualifying on Saturday to claim victory in the final and extend his championship lead. Will Ovenden (Mygale XC04) finished second while Liam McMullan completed the round seven podium. Having delivered a stunning recovery drive on Saturday to climb from the back of the pack to fourth, Junior graduate Ben Bartlett (Mygale XC04) qualified on pole for the final on Sunday, but it was Kane who stormed into the lead on the opening lap to drive to victory from the front. Bradley Turner (LifeLive TN11) claimed a first podium of the season in second, with Bartlett completing the podium to climb back to second in the standings.

Retro Rallycross Championship

Having twice finished second to Opel Kadett racer Alan Crockett in the opening weekend of the season at Lydden Hill, reigning champion Charlie French qualified his Ford Escort on pole position for the Super Retro final on Saturday at Pembrey. He claimed the lead of the race through the opening corners then defended throughout to return to the top step of the rostrum, shadowed by Crockett, with Ford Escort racer Allan Tapscott completing the podium. On Sunday, with the circuit running in the opposite direction, French again led from the opening turn, but under huge pressure from Crockett, it was the Kadett driver who made an overtake for the lead and crossed the finish line first. However, Crockett was deemed to have breached the regulations on track, and French took the win. The pair are tired on points, as Crockett finished second for the second time in two days. Four-time British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran completed the podium.

Ford Escort campaigner and reigning Retro Rallycross (up to 1600cc) champion Dan Swayland continued a strong run of form in 2025 by twice storming to victory in the category, on both occasions joined by 2025 newcomers Joe Luke-Eastwood and Ian Halfhide (Peugeot 205) on the podium.

Swift Sport Rallycross Championship

Championship leader Matt Cake continued his unbeaten run through the 2025 Swift Sport Rallycross Championship season, twice taking victory at Pembrey Circuit in a weekend where the Kent driver put himself within touching distance of the crown. Racing together on track with competitors from the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship as part of the amalgamated event, Kenyan driver Naftali Ayieko returned to the series and was twice second of the Swift runners, while Philip Seath completed the podium on both days. Gary Harvey made his debut appearance in the class.

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